


The Adventures of Kitten Anakin

by TheFreakWithTheWings



Series: Attachments and Kittens [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Ahsoka needs a hug, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin is a kitten, Animal Transformation, Barriss needs a hug, Everyone Needs Hugs, F/M, Fix-It, GFY, Kittens, Panic Attacks, tags to be added as story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-07-10 10:35:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6980896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFreakWithTheWings/pseuds/TheFreakWithTheWings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anakin gets turned into a kitten.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here is a reference for kitten!Anakin: [x](http://www.pngimagesfree.com/ANIMALS/Cats/kitten_png_image.png)

Anakin wasn’t sure what exactly had happened to him. One second he had been jogging back to the shuttle, having finished up his investigation of the ancient Jedi Temple, and the next he was lying on the ground. Everything was a lot bigger, the trees, the grass, it was all so much taller.

Anakin couldn’t hold back his yell when he saw that his hands had become paws, except it came out as a squeak. 

He froze, carefully taking stock of himself while drawing on the Force to stay calm. Four legs, a tail, whiskers, strong ears on top of his head, eyes that could penetrate the gloom of the forest much better than before, fur, retractable claws. 

Oh Force, he had somehow become a cat. 

How was he supposed to pilot his starship now? He wouldn’t even be able to reach the controls, much less use them without thumbs. He wouldn’t be able to use his lightsaber either, which, when he looked around, Anakin found was missing. As were his clothes. Great.

Anakin squeaked in frustration a few times and clawed up some of the dirt before he began trotting back towards his starfighter. He could set off the distress beacon and have someone come and pick him up. It would be embarrassing, but at least he would be able to get help.

It took Anakin a long time to get back to his starfighter. He get stumbling over his paws, which felt like they were too big for the rest of his body, or losing his balance suddenly. Also, it took him at least five steps to travel a space that he normally could have stepped over. It was fully night when he reached his ship, and he was exhausted.

He used the Force to augment his leap up onto his ship, then turned on the distress beacon before curling up in the seat of his starfighter and falling asleep.

0o0o0

Anakin was woken up by a large hand wrapping around his belly and lifting him in the air. He reflexively hissed and dug his claws into the hand before he realized that it was Fives that had picked him up.

“Kark, that hurt,” Fives cursed, dumping Anakin back onto the seat of his starfighter.

“Well, what did you expect? You startled the little guy,” Rex said.

Anakin immediately perked up and said “Rex!” except all that came out was a small meow.

“You gotta make sure you support their butts when you pick them up,” Rex continued as he carefully scooped Anakin up.

Anakin meowed indignantly, prepared to jump down, except then Rex started scratching behind his ears. It felt really nice. He didn’t mean to start purring and settle down into Rex’s hand, which was almost as big as he was, but he did.

“How do you know so much about kittens?” Fives asked. 

“The Commander smuggled one on board a few months ago. I helped her take care of it until we found it a new home,” Rex explained.

Anakin would have made a note to make Ahsoka meditate for keeping a kitten secret from him, except he felt too comfortable.

“I couldn’t find any sign of Anakin,” Ahsoka said as she jogged out of the trees, her shoulders slumped. “It’s like he just disappeared, but I can still feel him in the Force.”

Anakin immediately perked up. He could tell Ahsoka what happened, and she would be able to hear him through their bond.

Anakin reached out along the bond, sending waves of happiness. Ahsoka froze and looked around.

“Master,” she tentatively called out. “Master where are you?”

Anakin meowed in response.

He felt more than heard Rex’s surprised intake of breath.

“General Skywalker,” Rex began as he carefully raised Anakin up so that he was level with the Captain’s face. “Is that you?”

Anakin chirruped and reached out to gently bop Rex on the nose. Finally, someone recognized him!

“Oh kriff, that’s the General,” Fives exclaimed, horrified. “Commander, we found him.”

Ahsoka’s eyes widened when she saw him, carefully cradled in Rex’s hands. Then she burst into laughter.

“How in the Force, Master,” she giggled. “Just, how?”

“Fives, contact General Kenobi and tell him what’s happened. Commander, I think you should take him now,” Rex said.

Anakin was carefully handed over to Ahsoka, who immediately brought him up to eye level. 

“You make a really cute kitten, Master,” she said, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Anakin meowed and rubbed his head against her arm. Ahsoka was family and needed to be marked as such. Come to think of it, maybe he should have made sure some of his scent got on Fives and Rex - wait no. Humans didn’t scent mark people. Oh Force, he was starting to think like a cat.

Ahsoka tucked him into the crook of her arm and patted him with her other hand while they waited for Fives to get done talking with Obi-Wan. Hopefully his old Master knew of a solution.

Still, maybe he had time for a quick nap while they waited. He was really comfortable, and it probably couldn’t hurt.

0o0o0

Anakin blinked his eyes open and meowed when he felt Ahsoka move.

“It’s alright, Anakin, I’m just sitting down,” Ahsoka soothed, running her hand down his spine once before turning back to whatever it was she had been doing before she woke him up.

Anakin huffed and tucked his feet underneath his body. Hopefully Ahsoka would start petting him again soon. It was her duty as his Padawan, now that he’d been turned into a kitten. 

“Master Obi-Wan said he wants you to come back to Coruscant so the Healers can make sure you’re okay,” Ahsoka continued. “I’m taking us there while Rex gets the rounds up the rest of the 501st.”

Anakin’s ears flattened against his head. Obi-Wan was going to laugh at him for this, he just knew it. And oh Force, what would Padmé do?

“Hey, Skyguy, it’ll be okay,” Ahsoka said, picking up on his distress. “Master Obi-Wan will know what to do.”


	2. Chapter 2

Anakin sat on Ahsoka’s lap for the jump back to Coruscant. He napped for most of it, only waking up occasionally when Ahsoka scratched behind his ears.

He was very hungry by the time they got back to the Jedi Temple, a feeling which he shared with Ahsoka through their bond.

She snickered and said “Alright, Master, I’ll see if the commissary has any milk.” before jumping out of the cockpit.

He carefully clambered after her, only to be swooped up and deposited up between her montrals. It was a very precarious position, and Anakin had to fight not to dig in his claws to get a better grip. Masters were not to hurt their Padawans, after all, unless it was through extra katas or meditation.

Many Jedi stared at them as they walked through the halls. Anakin shot them baleful glares until they looked away. He didn’t want to take the risk that they would try to pet him.

There were very few people in the commissary, so Ahsoka and Anakin were able to settle in and eat in peace, Ahsoka with her steak that was so rare it was almost bloody and Anakin with a small dish of bantha milk.

Their peace was interrupted when a group of younglings entered the commissary, chattering loudly about something. Anakin’s ears flattened back against his head and he tried jumping down onto Ahsoka’s lap to hide, but it was too late. They had seen him, and there would be no escape.

“Padawan Tano, where did you get a kitty?” one of them, a Tholothian, asked brightly.

“Can we hold it?” the Rodian girl asked before Ahsoka could answer, widening her eyes pitifully. “Please?”

Anakin looked up at Ahsoka, silently begging her to say no. Ahsoka’s smirk was downright evil.

“Yeah, of course you can hold him. This little guy is the sweetest kitten ever, he loves children,” she said as she scooped him up and handed him to the Wookiee youngling.

“He’s so tiny and fluffy!” the Wookiee howled in Shyriiwook.

“Can I hold him next Gungi?” the Rodian asked.

Gungi patted Anakin’s head very roughly before passing him to the Rodian, who squeezed him so tightly he thought his ribs were going to crack. Anakin tried to escape the minute her grip loosened, not wanting to be injured any further.

“Oops, careful guys. You don’t want to hurt him,” Ahsoka cautioned as she rescued him from the younglings.

“Aw, I wanted to hold him,” the Ithorian burbled.

Anakin hunkered down into the relative safety of Ahsoka’s arm.

“We have to go see Master Kenobi right now, but maybe once we’re done we’ll come see you guys again,” Ahsoka said.

Anakin sent a fierce denial at his Padawan through their bond.

The younglings pouted while he and Ahsoka left the commissary.

“Sorry, Master,” Ahsoka whispered to him once they were alone. “I thought they would be more careful than that.”

Anakin glared at Ahsoka for a moment, then rubbed his face against her arm and meowed to let her know that all was forgiven.

“Although, I can’t wait to see what Master Obi-Wan has to say about all this.”

0o0o0

As it turned out, Obi-Wan thought it was hilarious. It took him a good five minutes to stop laughing.

“I’m sorry, Anakin, but a kitten? How? Just, how?” he asked through giggles.

Anakin squeaked at him in an annoyed fashion. 

Obi-Wan took a few deep breaths to calm down and then replied “I suggest we check the Archives to see if there’s anything more about the Temple you were investigating that might have caused this.”

Anakin clawed his way up to Obi-Wan’s shoulder, claiming it as his perch.

“Anakin, no, get down from there,” Obi-Wan scolded.

Anakin meowed pitifully. He was comfortable here. Obi-Wan had a broad shoulder and his beard was scratchy. He rubbed his head against Obi-Wan’s beard a few times.

Obi-Wan’s shoulder shifted underneath Anakin’s feet as he sighed.

“Fine, you can stay there. But only until Ahsoka gets done with her meditation.”

Anakin started purring.

0o0o0

Anakin was greatly enjoying the research that Obi-Wan was doing. All he had to do was sit on Obi-Wan’s shoulder and meow encouragingly every once in awhile. Obi-Wan would pet him occasionally, if he got too deep in his research to notice his surroundings. It was very nice. Anakin could feel some of the stress he had been carrying around since the beginning of the war fade away.

“Well,” Obi-Wan said finally, leaning back in his chair and pulling Anakin from his shoulder with some difficulty. Anakin’s claws had gotten a little stuck in Obi-Wan’s clothes. “It looks like the Temple you were investigating on Asinonyk was created by a small group of Jedi who split from the Order due to disagreements over the rule of attachments.”

Anakin blinked at Obi-Wan. That was an interesting fact, but he didn’t see what it had to do with his current situation.

“Stop looking at me like that; I would need to do a few more days of research and probably visit the Temple itself before I could come to a hypothesis about what happened to you,” Obi-Wan sighed, slumping.

Obi-Wan smelled funny, like stress and the dregs of adrenaline and grief. Anakin probably would never have realized how badly the war was affecting his old Master. Obi-Wan was so good at concealing his emotions, at being the picture perfect Jedi, that Anakin sometimes forgot that Obi-Wan could feel things very deeply.

Anakin butted his head against Obi-Wan’s hand, silently trying to offer some comfort. It wasn’t Obi-Wan’s fault that he couldn’t find anything, and he shouldn’t be beating himself up about it. Anakin was too small to make Obi-Wan sit and rest, but maybe he could use trickery and cuteness to get Obi-Wan to stay in the Temple for a few weeks.

“I’ll have to report this to the Council; they’ll want to know why you can’t go back into the field,” Obi-Wan said.

Anakin sighed heavily and curled up in Obi-Wan’s lap. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to face any of them. Master Windu would probably be unbearably smug.


	3. Chapter 3

Unfortunately, after a few days of research, Obi-Wan was unable to find anything that had to do with Anakin’s condition in the Archives. Obi-Wan had decided to check other Jedi Temples, such as the one on Corellia, to see if they had any answers rather than going straight to the ancient Temple.

Anakin suspected Obi-Wan was worried about being turned into a kitten if he visited the Temple on Asinonyk. Normally Anakin would encourage Obi-Wan to go for it - being a kitten was fun, except when he was ambushed by younglings - but it would be detrimental to the war for both of them to go missing.

The Council had decided that they were going to keep Anakin’s kitten form a secret, just in case the Separatists caught word of it and tried to use it against him or something. Anakin had gotten distracted by a bit of string hanging off of Obi-Wan’s tunic halfway through his old Master’s explanation.

While Obi-Wan was busy, Anakin was sticking close to Ahsoka. Even if she had subjected him to the not-so-tender mercies of the younglings, she was still the only other Jedi not on the Council who knew what had happened to him. They spent a lot of time outside, meditating, napping, or just playing in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

Ahsoka was sometimes joined by Barriss Offee, newly Knighted, in her meditation. Anakin didn’t know her very well, but she and Ahsoka seemed to have an easy camaraderie. Anakin mostly stayed by Ahsoka when she meditated with them, not wanting to disturb the other young Knight.

Three days into their enforced vacation, however, Ahsoka was called away for Senior Padawan duties.

“It’s alright, Skyguy,” Ahsoka said cheerily. “You can just stay with Barriss until I get back.”

Anakin glared at her, trying to convey that he was perfectly capable of looking after himself and did not need to be babysat by another Knight. Ahsoka seemed to get the general gist of it, if not the exact nuances, because she rolled her eyes and scooped him up off of the couch in their quarters where he had been napping.

Anakin meowed angrily.

Ahsoka sighed. “I might be gone for the rest of the day, Master. Somebody needs to make sure that you get food while I’m gone.”

Anakin sulked the rest of the way to Barriss’ rooms.

“Ahsoka,” Barriss greeted as she opened the door to her quarters, a blink the only sign that she was surprised to see them. “How are you?”

“Can you watch him?” Ahsoka asked, holding Anakin out from her with both hands. “I’m going to be gone for at least the rest of the day, and I need someone to make sure he eats.”

“Of course,” Barriss said, gingerly taking him from Ahsoka and glancing down at him warily. “Is your Master okay with this though?”

“Oh, yeah, he’s absolutely fine. Thank you so much, bye!” Ahsoka called, already walking away.

Barriss stared down at Anakin in bemusement. Anakin stared back at her sullenly.

“I need you to know that I know nothing about taking care of cats,” she warned. 

Anakin shrugged. If she did something he didn’t like, he would just hiss at her.

“He probably can’t understand me anyways,” Barriss muttered as she set him down on her bed then moved to her meditation mat.

Anakin dozed while she meditated, or at least he attempted to. Barriss wasn’t having a very peaceful meditation session, constantly shifting and sighing. He couldn’t help but startle awake every time she did so.

He started to notice the stench of fear, sadness, and most of all anger that began to surround Barriss the longer she meditated. Deciding that it would probably be bad for her if she was left to stew in those negative emotions, Anakin pushed himself off of the bed, climbed into her lap, and began to meow loudly at her in order to catch her attention.

Barriss froze, her entire frame tensing up. When he didn’t do anything but stare up at her, she tentatively reached out to run a hand along his spine.

Anakin forced himself to start purring loudly and projected positive, soothing emotions at her. Barriss picked him up and cuddled him to her chest before breaking into giant, heaving sobs.

“There’s just so much Darkness in the future,” she sobbed. “And it’s all tied up in the war, and I just don’t know what to do.”

Kriff. Oh, kriff. Anakin did not know what to do here. It was hard enough for him when it was Padmé crying; he didn’t really have any idea what to do with someone he didn’t know well enough.

Well, Padmé appreciated being held and comforted, so maybe he could do that. Although, he was a little too small to be hugging Barriss.

Anakin nudged his head against hers, projecting as much calm and acceptance into the Force as he could.

She continued to cry, quieter now, as she leaned back into the wall. “I can sense it inside of every Jedi, even me. Sometimes there’s so much of it that I feel like I’m choking on it. We should never have gotten involved in this war. There’s something so infected with Darkness at the center of it that it’s infecting everything else. I think I want to leave the Order, but I don’t know what to do,” she confessed in a whisper. 

Anakin suddenly wished that he could speak, that he was human again, so that he could reassure her that it wasn’t just her. That sometimes he felt like he wasn’t worthy of being a Jedi, that he was too emotional, that others were just waiting for him to Fall.

But he couldn’t, so he settled on offering as much comfort as he could in his current form and resolved to speak with her as soon as he was human again.

Eventually, Barriss’ sobs petered out, and she relaxed into the deep sleep of the exhausted. Anakin only stayed awake a few moments longer before he too fell asleep, sure that Ahsoka would wake them up when she came back to get them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barriss just really needs a hug and someone to listen to her, okay?


	4. Chapter 4

Two days later, and Anakin was still a kitten. Obi-Wan had been called away from his research by the war, so it was unknown how long he’d remain this way.

None of the media had picked up on his disappearance yet - they probably thought he was still on the front lines - but Anakin had rarely spent so long on Coruscant without seeing Padmé. He missed her.

Therefore he was both terribly worried and downright gleeful when he learned that there had been vague death threats against Padmé, and that she had requested Ahsoka as her bodyguard. No one had said that he couldn’t accompany her, so Anakin happily hitched a ride with his Padawan when she left for her assignment.

Anakin’s heart leapt when he saw Padmé. He was so anxious to see her, to be next to her, that if Ahsoka didn’t say anything soon, he was going to make a break for it. 

“Ahsoka!” Padmé exclaimed, greeting her with a hug. “It’s so good to see you. How have you been?”

“I’ve been alright. I want to go back out and fight, but what with what’s happened to Master Anakin, the Council’s been a little -”

“Something’s happened to Ana- Knight Skywalker?” Padmé interrupted.

Ahsoka hesitated, glancing down at Anakin, who was sitting patiently at her heels, waiting for her to explain the situation to Padmé. There was no one around except the three of them, so it would be okay. Anakin meowed at her and pushed gentle reassurance through their bond.

“Anakin had an incident at an ancient Jedi Temple,” Ahsoka said as she stooped down and picked him up. “ _This_ happened to him.”

Padmé froze for a moment, her eyes flicking between Anakin and Ahsoka, before narrowing. “Is this some sort of joke?”

Ahsoka shook her head. “We have no idea how it happened, or how to fix it. He’s been like this for a few days.”

Padmé pinched the bridge of her nose and sucked in a few deep breaths. “Okay. Jedi can turn into animals now. Okay. That is something that happens. And now Anakin is one for an undetermined length of time.”

“It’s been five days already,” Ahsoka helpfully added.

“Thank you. What’s being done to fix it?” Padmé asked.

Anakin meowed and wriggled in Ahsoka’s hands. He really wanted to greet Padmé, even if all he did was rub his head against her hands a few times. The Force was nudging him along, telling him that his problem would be one step closer to being solved if he spent time with her.

“Master Obi-Wan is investigating. Do you want to hold him?” Ahsoka offered, holding him out.

Padmé gently accepted him from Ahsoka, bringing him closer to her chest and carefully running her hand over him a few times. Anakin immediately started purring, so happy to be with her.

“You’re so soft, Anakin,” Padmé said. “And so cute.”

Anakin jumped up from Padmé’s hands to her shoulder and started rubbing his head against her chin.

“I’m just going to go make sure the rest of the place is secure,” Ahsoka said, backing towards the door.

Padmé nodded in acknowledgement as Ahsoka left.

She spent a few more minutes giving Anakin her undivided attention, which was wonderful. Padmé gave the best ear scritches. Even when she had to turn her attention to her work, Padmé continued to run one of her hands along his back or scratch behind his ears. Anakin was purring the entire time, the only sound to disrupt the blissful silence, as he drifted on the currents of the Force.

Anakin jumped slightly at the sudden beeping of Padmé’s comm, his eyes flying open. 

“It’s just the comm, Anakin,” Padmé chuckled before answering it.

The blue figure of the Chancellor rose up. “Good afternoon, Senator Amidala.”

“Supreme Chancellor,” Padmé nodded. “Is everything alright?”

“Oh, yes, I just need to speak with you regarding the committee you’re leading with Senator Organa,” the Chancellor said pleasantly.

“Of course. I shall be there as soon as possible,” Padmé responded before closing the connection.

She sighed and leaned back in her chair, then put Anakin up on her desk so that she could stand.

“Do you want to come with me?” she asked.

Anakin meowed his assent and walked over to the edge of her desk, taking care not to step on any of Padmé’s various data pads. Even if Anakin couldn’t talk to him, it would be nice to see his friend.

“I’m going to hide you in my sleeve, okay? I won’t let you fall, I promise,” Padmé said.

Padmé was wearing a dress with wide sleeves today, so there was plenty of room for him when she tucked him into them. Anakin curled up into a ball after she hid both him and her hands in her voluminous sleeves.

He opened his mind to the Force as they walked, noting each of the people Padmé passed on their way to the Chancellor’s office, making sure none of them had malicious intent. He also noticed that there was a loose thread on the inside of Padmé’s sleeve, but he was able to resist pouncing on it with great effort.

“Senator Amidala, so good to see you,” the Chancellor greeted once they were in his office.

“Always a pleasure, Supreme Chancellor.” Padmé smiled politely.

“Yes, now about your -” The Chancellor paused, then sneezed. “Oh, excuse me -” He sneezed again. “I do apologize, my allergies appear to be acting up,” he sniffed.

“Oh, it’s no problem. Maybe we should speak on this later,” Padmé suggested.

“Thank you, my dear, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” the Chancellor said, his voice already beginning to sound nasally.

“I hope your allergies clear up soon,” she said “And that the rest of your day is much more pleasant.”

Once they were back in Padmé’s office, she let Anakin out of her sleeve. He was a little confused to note that she was stifling a grin.

Anakin tilted his head to the side and meowed questioningly.

“The Chancellor was going to use our meeting to try and get one of his people invited to the dinner Bail is hosting tonight, likely to sow doubt among the supporters of our committee,” Padmé explained.

Anakin didn’t fully understand the nuances of what had just happened. To him it seemed like they had just walked across half of the Senate building for nothing, but Padmé was the politician, not him. If she was happy, then he was happy, even if he was a little sad that Chancellor Palpatine was sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have little understanding of how politics work, but Anakin understands even less, so it works out alright.


	5. Chapter 5

Anakin and Padmé spent the rest of the day together, with Ahsoka periodically stopping by to let them know that everything was alright. It was a wonderful break from their time in the Temple. Anakin was free to be around Padmé in front of other people because no one cared that she had acquired a kitten beyond the initial cooing over his cuteness.

While she was preparing for her dinner with Bail Organa, something Anakin would definitely be attending with her, Anakin received a warning from the Force of impending danger and a rush of adrenaline from his bond with Ahsoka. She was under attack, and the threat was headed their way.

He sprang at Padmé’s head with a yowl, his claws carefully tucked away.

“What are you doing?” Padmé yelled as she ducked out of his way.

Anakin was unable to answer, both because he was a kitten and because Ahsoka had just crashed through the window, pursued by blaster bolts.

“I found the threat, my lady,” Ahsoka yelled while she deflected the bolts away from them. “He’s a lot tougher than I expected.”

Padmé pulled her own blaster from underneath her skirts and returned fire from her position on the floor.

Anakin hid against the wall underneath the broken window, the Force telling him that the bounty hunter would using that as an entrance.

He had already begun his leap moments before the bounty hunter stepped through the opening, latching onto the man’s toughened synthleather trousers. The muffled thump of the man’s boots landing on the carpet masked the sound of claws catching on fabric. He climbed up the bounty hunter’s back while the man dueled Ahsoka, the toughened synthleather and armor keeping him from feeling the prick of Anakin’s claws.

Anakin was able to make his way up to the top of the man’s shoulder before he was noticed. Anakin slashed at his face, raising deep claw marks just under the bounty hunter’s eye. The man shouted and took his attention away from Ahsoka for one fatal second.

Anakin leapt off of the man’s body before it hit the floor, not even needing the Force to land securely on all four feet.

“Anakin!” Padmé yelled, pushing herself to her feet and swooping him into her arms. “That was so reckless!”

“It’s alright, Senator Amidala,” Ahsoka said. “Master Anakin and I have been in much more dangerous situations before. That bounty hunter wasn’t even that much of a threat.”

Anakin knew Ahsoka’s words were meant to reassure Padmé, but he also knew that they would only make Padmé worry even further. She always feared for his life when he was away, even though she didn’t have to.

Padmé closed her eyes and sighed heavily, momentarily tightening her grip on Anakin. When she opened them, she had the composed mask of a Senator, or a Queen, carefully in place. Padmé placed her blaster on the nearby vanity then nodded regally at Ahsoka.

“Thank you, Padawan Tano,” she said.

Ahsoka bowed shallowly. “Master Skywalker and I will need to return to the Temple now that the threat is over, my lady.”

“Of course.” Padmé lifted Anakin up near her face and whispered “Stay safe, please,” before placing a kiss between his ears.

Just as suddenly as Anakin had become a kitten, he was human again, robe, lightsaber, and all.

Padmé was the first one to react.

“Anakin?” she whispered, her hand reaching up to touch his face tentatively. When her hand made contact, Padmé proceeded to wrap him up in one of the tightest hugs he had ever received.

“Skyguy!” Ahsoka yelled happily, charging in and hugging him from the other side.

Anakin wrapped an arm around each of them, smiling so widely that his face hurt. The Force bubbled with the joy exuding from the three of them. 

After a few more moments, they released each other, and the atmosphere of the room grew awkward.

“We should probably get rid of this body,” Ahsoka said, breaking the silence.

Padmé was already heading towards the door. “I’ll get the Senate Guard. Anakin, you need to think of an excuse for why you’re here.”

“So, Senator Amidala, huh?” Ahsoka teased, wiggling her white markings.

Anakin studiously stared up at the ceiling. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Snips.”

“Oh come on,” Ahsoka exclaimed. “She kissed you, and then you were human again. It’s like something out of a bedtime tale. True love’s kiss, or whatever.”

“The Order has rules against that sort of thing,” Anakin reminded her. “Attachments are forbidden.”

Ahsoka crossed her arms over her chest, unconvinced. “Alright, fine. Whatever you say, Master.”

Anakin sighed quietly in relief. “Thank you, Padawan.”

“But if there was any sort of attachment going on, then Padmé’s a good choice,” Ahsoka said quietly.

Before Anakin could respond, the Senator in question returned with two members of the Senate Guard in tow. 

“Thank you for your assistance, Commander Tano. Uh, General Skywalker,” one of the guards said while the other one hefted the body of the bounty hunter over his shoulder. “We didn’t see you come in, sir.”

“I was tracking the bounty hunter,” Anakin bluffed. “I came through the same entrance he did.”

“Ah, thank you sir,” the guard said, glancing at the window.

“Yes, thank you, both of you, for your help in saving my life,” Padmé interjected before any more awkward questions could be asked.

“It was our pleasure, my lady.” Anakin bowed slightly to Padmé, Ahsoka following suit a moment later. “We’ll be going back to the Temple now.”

Anakin and Ahsoka quickly left the rooms, hurrying towards where Ahsoka had parked the speeder.

“What’s the big rush, Master?” Ahsoka asked as they walked.

Anakin looked down at Ahsoka, then back ahead. “Well, besides letting Obi-Wan know that I’m okay, and letting the Council know that I’m ready to return to active duty, I need to talk to Barriss.”

“Barriss?” Ahsoka furrowed her brow. “Why? Is something wrong? Did something happen while she was watching you?”

Anakin swung himself into the driver’s seat of Ahsoka’s speeder and sighed gustily. “I sure hope nothing’s wrong, Snips, but I want to make sure, just in case.”

“If you think that’s best, Skyguy,” Ahsoka said. “Hey, wait, I wanted to drive.”

“Be faster next time,” Anakin suggested, laughing as she grumpily got into the passenger’s side before speeding off to the Temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I'm a firm believer that true love isn't just romantic, anyone who loved Anakin would have been able to break the 'curse', not just Padmé.
> 
> Okay, quick question that will possibly affect the plot of the rest of this fic but possibly not: Should Anakin be able to shapeshift into a kitten whenever he wants now that the 'curse' is broken?


	6. Chapter 6

The Council was very much interested in hearing how Anakin had become human again. 

However, in the interest of keeping his marriage to Padmé a secret, he had merely shrugged and said “Perhaps there was a time limit. We could send someone else to the ruins of the Temple on Asinonyk to try and find out.”

The Council had, understandably, decided against sending another Jedi. They didn’t have enough Jedi left on Coruscant for such a mission.

Ahsoka had followed Anakin’s lead and said nothing about how Anakin had become human again. When she gave her report on the bounty hunter, though, there were a few raised eyebrows.

“I thought you said that General Skywalker had not yet turned back into a human at that point,” Master Ti said, attending the meeting from Kamino.

Ahsoka glanced up at Anakin uncertainly before continuing. “He hadn’t.”

“Then please explain how he was able to help you take out the bounty hunter,” Master Windu said, his expression almost completely unchanging. Anakin thought he saw Master Windu’s eye twitch a little, as if he was anticipating an eminent headache.

“If you look at the body of the bounty hunter, you’ll notice that he has scratch marks on his face. That’s from Master Skywalker climbing up the bounty hunter and scratching him. I was able to use the distraction my Master created to kill the bounty hunter,” Ahsoka explained.

Anakin could feel the amusement of several Council members in the Force.

“A kitten, young Skywalker may have appeared, but still a Jedi, he was,” Yoda said.

“Thank you, Master Yoda,” Anakin said, bowing to the aged Master. Coming from Yoda, that was high praise.

“Let us hope that your return is permanent, Knight Skywalker, and may the Force be with you,” Master Mundi said before his image flickered out.

The meeting was over.

“Thanks for not saying anything, Snips,” Anakin said once they were well out of sight of the Council chambers.

“About what?” Ahsoka asked, winking.

Anakin grinned. “Do you know where Barriss’ rooms are? I think it’s time for me to talk to her.”

Ahsoka led him to Barriss Offee’s quarters and knocked on the door.

Barriss opened the door with a delighted smile when she saw Ahsoka that turned into a confused frown when she noticed Anakin.

“Can I help you?” she asked politely.

“My Master,” Ahsoka gestured towards Anakin. “Wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Alright. Please come in Ahsoka, Knight Skywalker,” Barriss said, stepping aside and opening the door.

Anakin scratched the back of his neck. “Actually, I was hoping to speak with you alone, Knight Offee.”

Barriss nodded. “Very well. I’ll see you later, Ahsoka. Oh, wait, before you go, I wanted to ask if your kitten was alright.”

Ahsoka didn’t even bother to cover her smirk. “Oh he’s perfectly fine, no need to worry about him.”

The atmosphere was awkward and a little tense in Barriss’ quarters as they both sat down across from each other. 

Anakin wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to begin the conversation he wanted to have with her. Should he circle around, maybe start with her fears about the war? No, that would be too confusing. Maybe he could just straight up tell her that he had overheard her, and he wouldn’t have to mention his time as a kitten. Except, that would be lying. He would start at the beginning, with the assignment from the Council to investigate the ancient Temple and proceed delicately from there.

Apparently, though, he had taken too long in formulating his thoughts and staring at everything in the room except Barriss while he did so, because she began to speak.

“What was it you wished to speak with me about?”

“I was the cat,” Anakin blurted out. Or he would just tell her everything as bluntly as possible, that was a good plan. “Or, the kitten, sorry. I didn’t mean to hear what you said - about the war and the Jedi and the Dark - when you were watching me for Ahsoka. And I just wanted you to know that I was here. If you needed to talk.”

Barriss blinked. “Pardon me, but I could have sworn you just said you were turned into a kitten.”

Anakin sighed. Of course she didn’t believe him. “I’m telling the truth.”

“Well, have you been to see the Healers?” Barriss asked, tilting her head to one side. “Just to make sure there weren’t any side effects?”

“I know what you’re doing,” Anakin said, narrowing his eyes. He may not have perfected the art of changing the subject to avoid awkward conversations while he was Obi-Wan’s padawan, but he had learned how to recognize it. “If you don’t want to talk about what you said about leaving the Order, then that’s fine. You should know, though, that you aren’t the only one who’s thought about leaving.”

Barriss froze, her widening eyes and a soft echo of shock in the Force the only signs that she had even registered his words. He waited for her to collect her thoughts, sensing that she would need time to come up with an answer.

“I don’t exactly want to leave,” she said finally. “This is my home. It’s just become so stifling that I almost wish it wasn’t. I don’t want to fight a war, to die for a Republic and an Order that’s become rotten with corruption and lies.”

“You may not want to leave, but it sounds like you might need to,” Anakin pointed out.

Barriss pulled her knees to her chest and stared at the ground, absently tracing lines with her finger while she contemplated what he had said. “You may be right.”

Anakin pushed himself to his feet. “And if you do decide to leave, I can put in a good word with the Senator from Naboo for you, get you set up there if you wanted.”

He was almost out the door when he heard a soft “Thank you, but I’ll likely be going back to Mirial.”


	7. Chapter 7

Anakin made it halfway to his own quarters before a strange pressure built up behind his eyes. He blinked and rubbed at the bridge of his nose to try to get rid of the sensation. It didn’t hurt, exactly, but it wasn’t a very pleasant feeling either. It felt a little bit like the beginnings of a sneeze.

He paused and waited, hoping that he would sneeze, but nothing happened. The pressure continued to build until it was on the point of actual pain, and then he changed.

He was once again a kitten.

Kriff it all.

It was a very long way back to his rooms when he was like this, and he felt very tired. Of course, he’d almost always felt kind of sleepy the last time he’d been a kitten, but not like this. This felt like there was a Besalisk pulling on each eyelid, dragging them closed.

Anakin clumsily stumbled over to the wall of the hallway and curled up, sleep swiftly claiming him.

0o0o0

“Skywalker? What are you doing out here?” a deep voice asked, rousing Anakin from his nap.

Anakin lifted his head and blinked blearily at the orange figure in front of him, too tired to bother with meowing at them in annoyance. He lowered his head back down onto his paws, intending to go back to sleep if the person didn’t have anything else to say.

Unfortunately, the person had other ideas. Two large hands wrapped around his middle and hoisted him into the air.

This time Anakin made his annoyance known, meowing loudly as he was tucked into the corner of the person’s arm, reaching out with the Force to further express his displeasure.

Master Koon, as the person turned out to be, simply laughed when Anakin glared at him, gently scratching him behind one of his ears.

“Let’s get you back to your quarters,” Master Koon said.

Anakin wasn’t listening. He’d melted into a puddle of goo, purring louder than he’d even thought possible, as soon as Master Koon had started scratching him behind the ears. It felt so amazing that he couldn’t even fall back asleep.

He didn’t pay attention to where they were going, content to just lay there and purr, although he did sense Ahsoka’s presence growing closer. Maybe Master Koon could teach her the secret behind his masterful skill at ear scratching.

Anakin was stirred from his happy daze when Master Koon stopped scratching to knock on a familiar door. It swished open, revealing Ahsoka.

“Master Plo!” she exclaimed happily before blinking down at Anakin. “And Master Skywalker.”

Master Koon picked Anakin up around his middle and held him out to Ahsoka. Anakin meowed plaintively at the loss of scratches.

Ahsoka stared at him for a second before she burst into laugher, forced to lean against the door for support. Plo chuckled a few times behind his antiox mask, although Anakin couldn’t tell whether he was laughing at Ahsoka or with her.

He glared at his young Padawan, silently plotting to punish her horribly with extra meditation and shifts assisting Master Nu in the Archives. She wouldn’t be allowed to do anything fun for a whole week. Punishment lasting longer than a week bordered on cruel, as Anakin had learned as Obi-Wan’s Padawan, and he wouldn’t be that mean.

“Sorry, Master,” Ahsoka giggled as she accepted him from Master Koon, blissfully unaware of the horrendous punishments in her future. “It’s just, you only changed back a little while ago, and now you’re a kitten again.”

“I recommend you keep a careful eye on him,” Master Koon said. “I found him sleeping in the hallway.”

“In the hallway? Really, Master,” Ahsoka mock scolded. “You should be more careful. Anyone could have stepped on you.”

Anakin reached out and patted her on the nose reassuringly. He wouldn’t have let anyone do step on him and escape without severe scratches on their ankles.

Master Koon nodded to the both of them. “I’ll see you later, little ‘Soka.”

“Bye Master Plo,” Ahsoka said, tucking Anakin under one arm and waving.

Anakin wriggled free, jumping out of her arms and making a beeline for the fridge, the beginings of a ferocious hunger stirring. 

Ahsoka was still at the door when he reached the kitchen area, so Anakin pushed himself onto his hind legs and reached out into the Force to keep himself upright. Then, with far more focus than he would normally use, Anakin gripped the handle of the fridge and yanked on it with the Force.

“Do you want me to comm Senator Amidala?” Ahsoka asked as she moved into her bedroom.

Anakin sent vague negative feelings through their bond as he browsed the fridge, looking for something to eat. Probably no fruits or vegetables, no bread either. Really, the only thing he was certain would be safe for him to eat as he was now was meat. It was a good thing he lived with a Togruta because there was plenty of meat in the fridge.

“Why don’t you want me to call the Senator?” Ahsoka asked.

Anakin got back down onto all fours and pulled the closest piece of meat out of the fridge with his teeth. It was some of Ahsoka’s leftover nerf steak: a little tough and chewy, but still delicious.

“Master, why - hey!” she exclaimed as she stepped into the kitchen area. “I was going to eat that later. And why are you eating it on the floor? That’s so gross.”

Anakin shrugged as he chewed on a mouthful of steak. He’d eaten in worse places, and besides, their kitchen floor wasn’t _that_ dirty.

Ahsoka wrinkled her nose at him as she sat down on the floor. “If you don’t want me to call Senator Amidala, then how do you plan on changing back?”

He shrugged again, more intent on satisfying the hunger clawing at his insides than anything else. Anakin swallowed his last bite and reached over to pat her on the shoulder, forgetting for a moment that he was a kitten again.

That strange pressure built up again, faster than it had the last time. He scrunched his face and shook his head, trying to get it to go away.

For the fourth time, Anakin went through the shift between human and kitten.

Ahsoka reached over and poked him in the side. “You’re back!”

“I think I can control it if I practice, Snips,” he said, absently flexing his fingers. A gleeful smile broke out across his face as numerous possibilities ran through his mind.

Ahsoka’s eyes widened as she clearly began to imagine some of the same possibilities this would give them.


	8. Chapter 8

“Ready?” Ahsoka asked with an eager grin.

Anakin meowed to tell her that he was ready when she was.

“I’m going to count to three, then throw,” Ahsoka said. Anakin braced himself in her hand as she counted. “One, two, three!”

On three, Ahsoka wound her arm back and threw him at half strength, which was pretty close to full strength for those not strong in the Force.

Anakin flew through the air for one endless moment, twisting around so that his feet were facing the ground. Then he changed back into a human.

In theory, Anakin would either land on his feet or roll to a standing position. In practice, however, it had not gone so smoothly. The timing was the hardest part of the whole maneuver.

This time, Anakin changed back and almost immediately slammed into the wall, with just enough time to turn his face to the side and avoid a broken nose, before flopping onto the ground. He was able to get up right away and shake off the pain, but it still hurt.

“Maybe you could try throwing with a little more arc,” Anakin suggested, rolling his neck to work out some of the soreness.

“I thought there was no try,” Ahsoka said snippily.

Anakin rolled his eyes and walked back over to her, not even dignifying her comment with a response. He changed into a kitten and was ready to go again when Barriss Offee walked into the training salle.

She nodded to Anakin in acknowledgement and then turned to Ahsoka. “May I speak with you?”

Ahsoka’s eyes darted down to Anakin for a moment before she replied “Sure.”

Barriss closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Anakin could feel her pulling on the Force to steady her nerves.

He and Ahsoka waited patiently for her to collect herself.

“I’ve left the Order,” she said finally, opening her eyes to catch Ahsoka’s reaction.

“What? Why?” Ahsoka asked, askance.

“This war has twisted the Jedi into something they should not be, and I no longer want any part of it,” Barriss practically snarled.

Anakin could feel her emotions race inside of her, spilling out into the Force and battering against his shields.

Ahsoka seemed to feel it too, but, rather than flinch away, she stepped forward and put her hand on Barriss’s shoulder. Some of the rage and indignation seemed to leak out of Barriss as she leaned into the touch.

“You could stay and make a difference, help change things for the better,” Ahsoka suggested calmly.

Barriss shook her head. “I’m just one person. Besides, it’s already too late. As of twenty minutes ago, I am no longer Knight Offee of the Jedi Order. I’m just Barriss now.”

“Well, I happen to like just Barriss very much. Thank you so much for telling me about your choice,” Ahsoka said with a sad smile.

Anakin felt a little like he was intruding on a private moment. Maybe he’d been wrong about her being too attached to that Bonteri kid. He narrowed his eyes and sat down to observe his padawan and her friend more closely, his tail twitching slightly.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you something as well,” Barriss said.

Anakin didn’t like the sound of that.

“Would you leave the Order with me?” she asked.

Ahsoka gaped at her. Anakin was barely able to hold back a hiss of displeasure. Leaving may have been best for Barriss, but he didn’t want to lose his padawan, not yet. It was too soon.

“I- I- I can’t,” Ahsoka stammered, her hand falling from Barriss’s shoulder.

“Ahsoka, there is a sickness, a darkness inside the Order, and it will contaminate everyone it touches. I- I care about you too much to just sit back and let that happen to you. Please, Ahsoka,” Barriss pleaded, her expression slightly wild.

“Barriss, the Order is my home. It it is corrupted, like you say, then I have to do what I can and fight to fix it. I’m sorry, but I can’t leave.”

Barriss’s shoulders slumped, and she turned her head, unable or unwilling to meet Ahsoka’s eyes. “Alright then. I’ll call you when I get a private comm set up. If you change your mind, just let me know. Goodbye Ahsoka.”

“Barriss, wait,” Ahsoka called, but it was too late.

Barriss had already left the training salle in a flurry of black skirts.

Anakin felt conflicted. On one hand, he was glad that Ahsoka wasn’t going to leave him or the Order. On the other hand, he felt bad that Barriss was probably feeling abandoned. Yet on another hand - paw, maybe - he was relieved that she was getting away from somewhere she felt trapped in and smothered and alone. On the fourth paw, he felt a little angry that she had tried to take his padawan with her. Ahsoka had a support system and people who cared for her already.

However, right now Ahsoka needed him to be there for her more than he needed to figure out his feelings.

Anakin changed back into a human and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Are you okay, Snips?”

“No,” she admitted, leaning into him.

He could feel her emotions through their bond, loss, grief, and confusion most prominent.

He hesitated only a moment before curling his other arm around her in a proper hug. She tucked her face into his chest and clung to him, her fingers curling into his tunics.

“It’ll be okay,” he said in a soothing tone, running his hand gently up and down her back. “You’ll see her again someday. Barriss is strong; she’ll be fine.”

“I know,” Ahsoka said, the slight hitching in her voice the only indication that she was holding back tears. “I just feel really empty right now.”

“I’m sure my clothes will be able to handle a few tears,” he said, unsubtly letting her know that it was okay for her to cry.

Ahsoka sniffed deeply then slowly, reluctantly let go of him and stepped back, her eyes still shining. “Thank you, Master, but I feel as if I need to improve my hand-to-hand skills right now.”

She bowed shallowly, her jaw clenched and her spine straight. Anakin could easily identify the signs of wanting to be strong even if you weren’t sure how. He felt helpless as she turned and left the room to go beat up some training dummies.

Barriss had been absolutely right that there was something wrong with the Order, Anakin realized, but he thought that Ahsoka’s approach was also right. He suspected, though, that the sickness might have started before the war began, long before.

Anakin’s conflicting feelings hardened into a resolve to fix things, and make the Order right. He was the Chosen One, after all, so how hard could it be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I said to some people that I was thinking this was going to be 3 arcs, but I'm probably going to end up turning it into a trilogy because I want to write from other POVs. Idk what I'm going to call the series yet though.


	9. Chapter 9

Deciding to do something was a lot easier than actually doing it. Truthfully, Anakin had very few ideas on how to go about fixing the Jedi Order, especially when he wasn’t completely sure what was wrong with it. He tried meditating on it, but he’d never had much luck with it, and this was no different. He’d tried talking to Padmé, but she didn’t really know the inner workings of the Order that much. Besides, something good had happened during her dinner with her fellow politicians, so Padmé had been in a mood to celebrate, which meant they’d both gotten a little distracted. Ahsoka was still hurting over Barriss, so most of his interactions with her were spent in training salles or watching cheesy holodramas over smuggled ice cream.

“If you could change one thing about the Order, what would it be?” he asked, staring at the actors and pretending as if he didn’t care about the answer.

Ahsoka was silent for so long that he though she hadn’t heard him, but eventually she said “Master, do you think there’s something wrong with the Order?”

“Yes, no, maybe? I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I think there are some areas where we could definitely do better, but I’m having trouble figuring out where those areas are.”

“I think you should talk to Master Obi-Wan,” she suggested, idly poking at her ice cream with her spoon.

Anakin almost immediately shot down her suggestion, but then he stopped and actually thought about it. Obi-Wan was on the High Council and had been raised as a Jedi, so he'd probably have a better idea of how to go about fixing the Order because he knew its inner workings. Besides, Obi-Wan almost always knew the answers to his questions, so even if he didn’t specifically know what was wrong Anakin was sure they’d be able to figure it out.

“That’s actually a pretty good idea, Snips. When did you get so smart?” he teased.

Ahsoka tossed her head haughtily. “It’s about time you recognized my genius.”

Anakin stared incredulously at her for a moment, and then they both started snickering uncontrollably. 

“Sssshh,” Ahsoka stuttered ineffectively, too busy laughing to properly articulate herself. “The talented Courtesan is going to chose either the rich, beautiful Duchess or the - hehe - fiercely handsome Mandalorian soon.”

Anakin stifled his giggles as best as he could and decided to hunt down Obi-Wan once the holodrama was over.

They managed to watch the rest of it with only minimal interruptions to get more ice cream, and both of them were surprised by the end twist.

“I can’t believe both the Duchess and the Mandalorian were already married to each other when they tried to woo the Courtesan,” Ahsoka said.

“Yeah,” Anakin said, a strange feeling gathering in the pit of his stomach. “That was very unexpected.”

“At least they managed to make everything work out in the end.”

Anakin pushed himself to his feet, wanting to avoid talking about the holodrama for some reason. “Well, I’d better go see Obi-Wan now. Make sure to clean up and hide the ice cream.”

“Sure thing, Skyguy,” Ahsoka said, then grinned mischievously. “Make sure to tell Master Obi-Wan you love him.”

“What?” Anakin frowned, his mind going blank.

“What what?” Ahsoka asked, blinking at him innocently.

Anakin narrowed his eyes. “I am not in love with Obi-Wan.”

“I didn’t say anything about being in love with him,” Ahsoka pointed out, her brow markings climbing towards her headdress.

“I- I have to go,” Anakin said, his cheeks burning as he swiftly made for the door. Maybe he could hide in the Room of a Thousand Fountains? No one would notice him there, especially if he was a kitten.

“You project your feelings more when you’re a cat,” Ahsoka called after him, laughter audible in her voice.

At least _someone_ thought this was funny.

Anakin decided against going to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Instead, like he always did when he was trying to avoid thinking about something, he went to the garage to work on damaged ships and speeders. His mind might have been a mess, but at least he could do something valuable with his spare time. No matter what he did, though, he kept going back to his conversation with Ahsoka, prodding at it like a sore tooth.

He wasn’t in love with Obi-Wan, was he?

Sure, Obi-Wan was smart, talented, strong, and had been there for Anakin when no one else had, but they also fought all the time. Except, that was a little more like bickering than actual fighting, and they were the best team in the Order, there was no doubt about that.

Anakin cursed under his breath when a loose wire burned the back of his hand because of his inattentiveness. It wasn’t that bad of a burn though, so he forced his mind back to the task at hand and continued digging through the innards of the speeder for the other half of the wire. He knew he should have had Artoo with him, but he wasn’t in the mood to listen to his friend’s snarky commentary.

That was another reason he couldn’t be in love with Obi-Wan: too much sarcasm for any one being to handle. It was kind of funny when Obi-Wan used it against someone else, though, even if it did often devolve into flirting, which was just another reason Anakin couldn’t be in love with him. Obi-Wan flirted with practically every adult _except_ him. Why did he do that? What was so great about those people that made Obi-Wan flirt with them? Force, he even flirted with Ventress of all people. Clearly, Anakin couldn’t be in love with him because he had poor taste.

Well, Duchess Satine hadn’t been that bad. She seemed to have some of the same scary competence that made him love Padmé so much, so he could understand how Obi-Wan had fallen for her. She hadn’t seemed to appreciate what Obi-Wan felt for her though, which was pretty foolish in his opinion. If Obi-Wan was in love with him, Anakin would have refused to relinquish him for anything. Of course, Obi-Wan wasn’t in love with him, so that was kind of a moot point.

The speeder switched off beneath his hands, which meant that there was something else wrong with it other than some loose wires.

As he ran a software check to make sure the source of the problem wasn’t there, Anakin idly wondered what it would be like to kiss Obi-Wan. His beard looked like it would feel soft, but there was no way of knowing unless he actually touched it. It might feel bristly and stiff against his face, his neck, his - 

Anakin abruptly broke that chain of thought, his eyes widening in shock. Had he just been fantasizing about _kissing_ Obi-Wan? Oh Force, he had.

Why had he been thinking about kissing Obi-Wan if he wasn’t in love with him?

The more he thought about it, the more Anakin realized that he wanted to imagine kissing Obi-Wan, of pinning him to a wall and leaning down just a little, not as much as he needed to with Padmé - 

Oh kriff, Padmé. She was going to be so angry with him, and for good reason. He was her husband, and he had been thinking about kissing someone else, was possibly in love with -

Anakin set down the scanner and sat down, arms propped up on his knees and his head in his hands.

She was never going to forgive him, and Force, he was going to deserve every ounce of her scorn. He couldn’t lie to her though, go on pretending like everything was normal when it _wasn’t_. Anakin knew he would have to tell her, and if she told him to get out and never come back then he would do just that. He hoped he’d get a chance to beg for her forgiveness, but he wasn’t counting on it.

He checked the newly repaired speeder for any more damage and, finding none, started it up. His heart heavy, Anakin climbed on and steered it towards the Senate building so that he could confess to Padmé that he might be in love with Obi-Wan.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for a panic attack and some depressive thoughts in this chapter.

Padmé wasn’t in her office when Anakin got there, but her aides were so used to seeing him that they let him in with little fuss. He didn’t even have to use his pre-crafted excuse about making sure the bounty hunter didn’t have any accomplices.

Unfortunately, since she wasn’t there Anakin had time to realize just how badly he’d kriffed things up by going and falling in love with Obi-Wan. Padmé was going to be so mad that he’d probably be lucky if she didn’t want to dissolve their marriage.

Anakin felt like he couldn’t breathe, the weight of his thoughts constricting his chest. His mind was clamoring with panic and alarm, but most of all guilt. It was his fault, all his fault. Padmé wouldn’t want a husband who fell in love with other people. Obi-Wan would never love him; he was the perfect Jedi.

He crumpled to the floor, curling in on himself as if to keep the negative thoughts from digging their claws any deeper into him. He didn’t know how long he laid there before shifted into a kitten, hoping that a layer of fur would be better protection against his own insecurities, and climbed up on Padmé’s chair.

It smelled like her, and Anakin soaked up as much of her scent as he could get. It was soothing, although not as much as her actual presence was. Still, it did more to wash away his anxiety than anything else.

Anakin cast about for something else to think about other than the giant ball of guilt that was just waiting to coerce him into a panic attack as well as its source, anything else. He flexed his claws as he felt the anxiety seeping back, then froze. 

Both of his front paws were fully intact.

How had he not realized that during the five days he’d spent as a kitten or any time after that?

Force, he was such an inattentive idiot. No one would ever want to be around him if they found out about that he hadn’t even noticed his own _arm_ switching between flesh and metal.

The sound of the door swishing open kept him from spiralling into further negative thoughts. He sat up, peering over the top of Padmé’s desk to see who had just entered her office.

Despite his intense feelings of guilt, Anakin started purring almost immediately when he saw that it was Padmé. Somehow, she always managed to make him feel better. She was so kind and beautiful and smart and brave, and she was going to be so upset with him once she realized why he was here.

“Anakin,” she said, a smile appearing on her face like the sun breaking through clouds. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Anakin shifted back to human form before she could pick him up and took a step back. He didn’t deserve to touch her, not until she knew what he had done.

Padmé frowned. “Something’s wrong.”

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He needed to ease his way into this confession, help her understand that he didn’t mean to fall in love with Obi-Wan. He couldn’t just blurt it out like he had done to Barriss.

“Tell me,” she said. “Please.”

Anakin could never deny her anything.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, the words sticking in the back of his throat. “It was an accident, please, you have to believe me. I would never do it on purpose.”

“Anakin, what is it? What happened?” Padmé asked, stepping forward and reaching for him.

His knees nearly gave out when she touched his face. “It was an accident, I swear.”

“I can’t help you unless you tell me what’s wrong,” Padmé said, rubbing her thumb over his cheekbone.

Anakin leaned into her touch before he could help himself, but he flinched away as soon as he realized what he was doing. “I’m in love with Obi-Wan,” he admitted in a small voice.

Padmé blinked. “Well, of course.” She paused, her eyes widening. “Wait, have you only just realized this?”

Anakin’s mind stuttered to a halt. He had absolutely no clue how to respond to what Padmé had said.

Padmé kept speaking. “You two just seemed to understand each other so well, and your face lights up whenever you’re talking about him. Well, except when you’re complaining about how he doesn’t pay attention to you. I knew after Geonosis that I wasn’t the only person in your heart, and I was okay with that.”

He opened his mouth, then closed it, unsure of what to say. Padmé was too good for him. Hopefully she never realized that.

“Come here,” Padmé said, pulling him up and into a hug. Anakin sagged into her arms, so relieved that she hadn’t pushed him away.

“I thought you would hate me,” he said, burying his face in her hair.

“Oh, Anakin, no, I could never hate you,” she promised, running her hands up and down his back.

“Can- can I stay with you? Just for a little while?” he asked tentatively.

“Yes, of course. Whatever you need. I have to review some bills before I go home, but after that I’m all yours,” she said.

“I can stay out of the way while you do that, maybe hide in the back,” Anakin offered. “Or maybe come back later.”

“If you were a kitten, no one would suspect a thing,” Padmé suggested.

Anakin lit up, pulling back from the hug and beaming at her. “You’re a genius.”

He shifted into his kitten form and stared up at Padmé, silently begging her to pick him up. She cheerfully obliged, setting him onto her lap once she sat down and started working. A loud purr rumbled out of his chest when she began scratching behind his ears.

Anakin had no idea what he was going to do about Obi-Wan, nor how he was going to go about fixing whatever was wrong with the Jedi Order. However, for now he was completely happy.

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr!](thefreakwiththewings.tumblr.com)  
>  Gorgeous [Fanart](http://fantasy-visions.blogspot.com/2016/06/kitten-anakin-fanart.html) by Brievel  
> Amazing [Fanart](http://belindafish123.tumblr.com/post/145089760058/captain-rex-and-kittenanakin-inspired-by-this) by belindafish123


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